Birthplace of rival political parties to deliver verdict on Labour
BBCCoventry, the birthplace of two political parties, is heading for a rare all-out election.
The Green Party and Reform UK, two parties that have transformed the national political landscape, have their roots in the city.
So it's perhaps fitting that, as Coventry faces its most consequential local election in more than two decades, those same disruptive forces aim to challenge the status quo in a city that has seen just two non-Labour leaders since Coventry City Council was reformed in 1974.
Reform UK, formerly the Brexit Party, was launched at metal finishing factory BG Penny, in Longford, in 2019.
Speaking at the site seven years later, Jackie Gardiner, Coventry's Reform group leader, reflected on the fact Coventry was the birthplace of two parties with such different political views.
She said: "The city council has adopted that strap line of peace and reconciliation and for our nation to become all that it can be we all have to pull together."
Gardiner expects Reform to become the largest party in Coventry after the election on May 7 and pledged change if that happens.
She said: "The plan is to, actually, run things differently so that it's less of a Punch and Judy show and more a collaboration of 54 brains so that the best ideas come to the top and therefore we put them into practice so that there is reconciliation on that level.
"That doesn't mean we're not going to have party differences, of course we are, but we're not going to conduct them in the way that it's gone on before."
The Green Party was formed at a meeting in Broadgate, in Coventry's city centre, in 1972.
Chrissie Brown, from the Green Party, said she was not surprised Coventry had produced two parties that are, in many ways, ideologically opposed.
She said: "Coventry is a place of ideals, it's a place of inventions, it's a place of rebellion, it's a place of challenging the norm, challenging what people expect rather than just obeying instructions."
In recent years the Greens have had some success in Coventry, securing two seats on the council, but can they pile more pressure on Labour?
Brown said: "Oh, definitely, definitely. I think we can really break the stronghold here in Labour. I think when we've been knocking on the streets, knocking on people's doors, most of the response is, I'm not going to be voting Labour."
Coventry has become a microcosm of the challenges faced nationally by an incumbent Labour administration seeking to retain power – particularly from those Coventry-born parties on the left and right.
But are local Labour figures concerned about the challenge of the parties spawned in the city?
George Duggins has been the Labour leader of the council since 2016.
He said: "I do worry that all of the hard work that's gone in over the last 16 years, as a result of what the Labour administration has done over that period of time, is at risk.
Duggins said climate initiatives driven forward by the council could be at risk if Reform took control.
He said: "People need to consider that it is going to be between Labour and Reform who actually forms the administration of this council. And that is something that I know the people of Coventry will reflect on."
The last time the city had a so-called all-out election was in 2004 when Labour's traditional opposition, the Conservatives, benefitted from Coventry electing the whole authority – rather than the standard one-third of seats being up for grabs.
That shows how seismic these all-out votes can be and it has given the Tories hope - as has Coventry City Football Club's promotion to the Premier League.
Gary Ridley, the Coventry Conservatives group leader, said: "I'm really inspired by Coventry City Football Club. We went all the way down to League Two and the Conservative Group at one stage went all the way down to three seats and we bounced back and we took control of Coventry City Council in 2004.
"So we know, we know that it can be done. Now, sadly, we've got a Premier League team in this city but we've got a First Division council. This election is a once in a generation opportunity to change that."
The Liberal Democrats have traditionally been less successful in Coventry than nationally, or even across the border in Warwickshire, having not had a councillor in the city since 2012.
But Stephen Richmond, from Coventry Liberal Democrats, said the "chaos" of an all-out election provided an opportunity and he felt it was important not to have "everyone wearing the same colour rosette".
Richmond said: "With it being chaotic, it's impossible for anyone to really know.
"However, do I think that this means we have a better chance and that it is a very exciting election to be a Liberal Democrat in Coventry? Yes, definitely, absolutely. I think we have a good chance and I would be very excited for us to get back on the council as we used to be and making a difference."
National party figures will keenly observe what the birthplace of the Greens and Reform delivers on election day.
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